


Youtubers in New York

by EmilytheLemur



Category: Penguins of Madagascar
Genre: F/M, YouTubers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:35:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27783106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmilytheLemur/pseuds/EmilytheLemur
Summary: Skipper’s daughter, Alex, has gotten into watching a couple of Youtubers so she’s super excited when she sees them at the zoo. But things get out of control when she uses one of Kowalski’s inventions on them...
Relationships: Kowalski/OC
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Penguins of Madagascar or any of its characters but I do own the penguin Alex.
> 
> This story takes place when Jack and Mark had dyed their hair.

The secret lair inside the island was quiet. Alex was in there by herself. Her father had asked her if she wanted to go with them to get snow cones, but she shook her head and said she wanted to be alone for a bit. When she said that, she remembered seeing the alarm in her boyfriend’s eyes, but she quickly promised to make it up to him later.

She waddled over to the door that led to Kowalski’s lab and opened it. Closing it behind her, she dropped to her stomach and slid over to the computer, hopping to her feet once there. She went to the internet and typed something into the search bar. She clicked a link and then stepped back as a video popped up.

Immediately there was a slapping noise and the Irish Youtuber yelled,” Top of the mornin' to ya, laddies! My name is Jacksepticeye, and welcome back to—“

Alex was distracted from the video by a loud crash in the main room. She thought her father and the others were back from their snow cone run. She paused the video and hurried to the door, opening it. She was surprised to see the lemurs there; the king looked like he belonged, but Maurice and Mort were looking a little nervous. She dropped to her stomach, sliding over to them and hopping to her feet when she got to them.

“Can I help you, King Julien?” she asked the ring-tail. The king turned to her, surprised in his eyes. Did he expect everyone to be gone? What was he looking for, anyways?

It was a few moments until he finally answered, glancing at his subjects and scratching his head as if thinking of something to say. Finally he sighed and said,” We want to watch T.V. We’re being bored in our own habitat.”

Alex blinked. “Why not listen to music, Your Majesty?” she asked calmly. “Besides,” she went on when the king looked annoyed,” the zoo will be opening soon. You should get back to your kingdom before Alice notices you’re gone.”

Maurice nodded. “She’s right, Julien,” he said. Turning back to Alex, he continued: “I’m sorry we bothered you and tell Skipper that we’re sorry for coming in here without permission… again.” He glared at his king, but Julien wasn’t paying attention. The king seemed to be spacing out, and Alex swallowed a sigh, reminding herself that he was a much higher rank than her, just like Skipper, so she must show respect like she would her father.

Alex said goodbye to the lemurs and returned to her video. Excitement coursed through her when she realized Jack was playing with his friend, Mark or Markiplier, as most people know him. For a bit, she sat there and watched her favorite Youtubers until she heard something in the other room for a second time. She thought it was the lemurs again, but then she heard her father calling to her. When she got to the main room, she spotted the four penguins standing near the ladder. She didn’t see their snow cones, so she guessed they must have eaten them on the way home.

“The zoo is about to open,” Skipper told his daughter, waddling over to her. “Are you going to be okay in here by yourself?”

Alex nodded.

The tallest of the penguins joined them and grabbed Alex’s flippers, staring down into her eyes. “Are you sure, sweetie?” he asked. “You look just like Private. The humans wouldn’t notice if we did the old switcheroo. They are so dumb they can’t even tell between a male and a female penguin!” There was laughter and hope in his eyes.

Alex thought for a long moment; she’s been here for almost a month now, and she’s never been out when the zoo was open. Well at least not where she could be seen, in fear of Alice noticing a fifth penguin suddenly appearing out of the blue. She kind of wanted to experience what her father and the others did every day, instead of being stuck inside by herself.

She turned to Private. “Will that be okay with you?” she asked.

The youngest member of the team nodded and walked over to them. “That’s fine with me. It’ll give me time to catch up on the Lunacorns.”

“It’s settled then,” Skipper declared, smiling as he waddled back to Rico, who still stood by the ladder. “Alex is gonna take Private’s place today. Okay, let’s get up there before the zoo—“

“Wait, Skipper,” Kowalski interrupted. “I’ve been working on something, and I wanted to try it out today… if you’ll let me.” He looked at his leader with pleading eyes, and Alex felt a pang of sympathy, knowing that sometimes her father doesn’t let him test out his inventions because they either blow up or cause trouble.

Skipper sighed. “What does this one do?”

Kowalski looked down. “I don’t know yet…”

Everyone exchanged confused glances. Then Private asked,” How did you invent something that you don’t know what it does, Kowalski?”

“I just started building something, and before I knew it, I had this.” Kowalski disappeared into his lab and then came back holding a small metal box with three buttons and antennas.

Skipper was rubbing under his beak, thinking. Then he shrugged and asked,” Any idea what it could do?”

“I think I have to point it at something,” he replied, aiming it at Private, his flipper hovering above one of the buttons. But just then the bell on the clock tower rang throughout the zoo, and all the penguins looked up.

“Topside!” Skipper ordered.

Kowalski gave his invention to Rico, and Alex guessed that he figured it would be safe in the crazy bird’s bottomless stomach until he needed it. Then the two penguins followed their leader, while Private waddled over to the TV, seeming happy for the day off.

Alex took a deep breath, before climbing the ladder and hopping onto the island. At first she was blinded by the bright sunlight outside, but once she was able to see, she spotted a large group of humans running toward the penguin habitat. She didn’t know what to do, and she was considering changing her mind. She wondered if it was too late to go back and send Private out instead.

Then she saw the smiles on all of their faces as they gathered around the habitat, cheering for the penguins. She suddenly felt a lot better and waddled over to her father, who was talking to his team.

“Cute and cuddly,” he was telling them, and Kowalski and Rico nodded, waving to the humans.

Alex lifted her flipper, waving to them as well. She found herself glancing at the neighboring habitat and spotted the lemurs dancing for the humans who gathered around to watch them. Still waving, she zoned out, unaware that Kowalski was trying to get her attention until he tapped her on the shoulder.

“What are you looking at?” he asked, following her gaze, and then turning back to her.

“The lemurs,” she replied. “They came by earlier.”

“They did?” Skipper snapped his head to his daughter, annoyance flashing in his eyes. “Why?” he demanded.

She shrugged, still waving to the humans. “They wanted to watch TV, but they left when I reminded them that the zoo was about to open.”

Skipper snorted but said nothing more, and Kowalski turned back to the humans. Alex sighed and focused on her waving again. She didn’t know how much time went by before her flipper grew tired. She wondered how her father and the others did this on a daily basis.

She was about to ask Skipper if she could go back in and send Private out, when she heard a very familiar voice. She forgot all about waving and ran to the edge of the platform. She could hear her father calling her back, but she ignored him. _It can’t be!_ she thought. Why would he be here in New York City?

She looked into the crowd, but she couldn’t see the familiar green hair. She sighed, realizing it was too good to be true. She waddled back to her father and the others.

“What was that about?” Skipper demanded.

“Sorry,” she muttered. “I thought I heard someone I know.”

“Who?” Kowalski asked.

Alex didn’t answer. She just stared at her feet. Then she heard the voice again! She looked up just in time to see a human walk by, and, yes! They had green hair! _Is it really him?_

Ignoring her father who was telling her to come back, she jumped into the water and swam to a part of the habitat where there were no humans. She slid on her belly, hiding behind a trash can. She looked around, wondering where he went. Then she spotted him. It was then that she noticed he was with someone. Wow! she thought, dropping to her belly again and chasing after them, dodging humans to avoid being stepped on.

She poked her head out from behind a building, staring at the two Youtubers, and gasped out loud,” Jack! And Mark!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Penguins of Madagascar or any of its characters but I do own the penguin Alex.

Frozen with wonder, Alex didn’t notice her father behind her until he tackled her, dragging her into the shadows of the building and away from the Youtubers. She protested and struggled in his grasp, but he had a firm grip on her. He pushed her against the wall, glaring at her. She knew she was in big trouble, but she couldn’t stop herself from smiling, realizing the two famous people were here at the zoo!

“What is wrong with you today?” Skipper demanded, snapping Alex out of her thoughts.

She sighed, knowing she disappointed her father. “I’m sorry,” she said. “But I saw two humans who are popular on Youtube.”

Skipper let go of his daughter. “Youtube?” he asked, looking around the building at the pair his daughter seemed excited about.

“It’s a website full of videos,” Alex explained, not really surprised that he’s never heard of it. He doesn’t spend much time on the Internet. “Anyways, that’s Jack or better known as Jacksepticeye and his friend Mark or Makipiler. They both run gaming channels and they have many fans. I can’t believe they’re here!” she added; she just wanted to jump up and down in her excitement, but she forced herself to stay calm.

The leader of the penguins blinked at her. “Uh… okay.” He looked at the humans again. “What’s the big deal? Why go crazy over them?”

“They’re hilarious!” Alex told him, waddling over to him and looking at the Youtubers. They seemed to be inspecting a map of the zoo, discussing something, but they were too far away for her to hear what they were saying. She was still very excited.

Suddenly she was being pulled away. Frowning, she allowed her father to usher her back to their habitat. “Come on,” he said. “We need to get back before anyone notices we’re missing. Kowalski and Rico can’t distract the humans forever.”

When they were back at the penguin habitat, they managed to sneak in without being seen. Alex jumped onto the island, shaking water out of her feathers and murmuring under breath,” I just wanted to see Jack and Mark. You never let me do anything.” But when Skipper appeared beside her, she shut her beak.

Kowalski turned and ran over to them. “Where did you two go?” he asked, glancing at his girlfriend, then his leader.

She didn’t answer him. Not wanting to be near her father any longer, Alex waddled over to Rico, who still waved at the humans. She joined him, but she couldn’t stop herself from sighing. She saw him glance at her and grunted what sounded like a question— maybe he asked if she was okay?— but she couldn’t be sure. She just shrugged miserably.

A few minutes later, she noticed Jack and Mark walking by, deep in conversation and heading toward the lemur habitat. She just wished she could go to them and say hi, but she knew humans couldn’t understand her. She then remembered Kowalski’s invention. What if it allowed humans and animals to speak the same language? He said he didn’t know what it did, so the possibilities were endless.

She turned to Rico and whispered,” Want to have some fun?”

He looked at her, excitement in his eyes, and nodded eagerly. “Yeah, yeah!” he said, without even asking her what she had in mind.

Looking over her shoulder, Alex saw Skipper and Kowalski entertaining a few humans on the other side of the habitat. Now was their chance. She signaled to Rico, silently telling him to go to the lemur habitat, and he nodded in understanding, following her into the water.

She surfaced, glancing at the island, glad to see that Skipper was too busy pleasing the humans to see her leaving… again. She climbed out of the water, Rico behind her. They slide on their bellies toward the lemur habitat, keeping an eye out for humans and staying hidden from them.

When they arrived at the wall, Alex looked around and saw the Youtubers gazing into the habitat and discussing how cute the lemurs were, especially the little mouse-looking one. Alex could imagine the annoyed look on the king’s face when everyone who laid eyes on Mort fell in love with him. But she pushed that thought away. She wanted to see if Kowalski’s invention could really make these humans understand her.

She noticed a few other humans hanging around. “We have to get them away from everyone,” she muttered, then added to herself, _Maybe Julien could help us by luring them to the other side…_

While she was deep in thought, she realized that Rico had coughed up a few things: rope, a skateboard, and duct tape. What did the psychopath have in mind of how to get the Youtubers away from everyone? Before Alex could ask him, Rico coughed up one more thing and the whole area was filled with smoke.

A woman screamed, and Alex stumbled around blindly. She felt someone picking her up and carrying her away. She tried to get away, but whoever had grabbed her had a firm grip on her. She thought maybe Skipper had noticed they were missing and had come to take her back.

However once they were out of the smoke, she realized that it was only Rico, and she relaxed as he let go of her. Then she widened her eyes when she saw what he did. In front of her were the two Youtubers, and she would have been excited, except that they were tied up and laid out on the skateboard with duct tape over their mouths so they couldn’t talk. Alex glanced around wildly, making sure nobody saw them, and she pushed the skateboard behind a building. Rico ran after her, a crazy sparkle in his eyes as he laughed cruelly.

Alex turned on him. “I didn’t mean for you to do this to them!” she snapped, but he didn’t look sorry at all. He just shrugged and continued to chuckle under his breath.

She turned back to the humans and her heart beat faster with fear for them when she saw how scared they looked. She began to pace, mind racing. “Oh, no, no,” she fretted. “Skipper’s going to kill us. I mean, he’s really going to kill us this time!”

Rico hacked up something and handed it to Alex. She stared down at it, confused. Kowalski’s invention? In her panic, she had completely forgotten what she wanted to do to begin with, but Rico seemed to know. She looked up at him. “Do you really think I should?” she asked. “I mean, we’re already in so much trouble…”

The crazed penguin nodded, excitement in his eyes as Alex pointed the invention at the Youtubers. She saw them widen their eyes in horror, and for a moment she thought about reconsidering this whole thing. But then she told herself if this thing made them understand her, she could apologize to them then. She took a deep breath and pushed the button in the middle of her boyfriend’s creation.

A blue light zigzagged between the antennas, forming a bright ball when it got to the tip. Then the light shot from the device, hitting the humans, and blinding the penguins. Alex stumbled backwards, accidentally dropping the invention, which fell to the ground.

Dazed, she rubbed her eyes and shook her head. She blinked and used her flippers to feel around her. What is this? she thought as her flipper brushed against something hard and metal. Suddenly she realized. It was Kowalski’s invention, broken into pieces. Everything was still blurry and she dropped to her knees, inching forward, trying to find someone.

“Rico?” she called, seeing the hazy outline of a penguin. Even though the reply that answered wasn’t Rico’s grunts, the voice still sounded very familiar.

Alex narrowed her eyes until her vision came back. She jumped backwards in surprise when instead of meeting Rico’s blue-green gaze, she found herself staring at a penguin with a different shade of blue eyes. _And does this penguin have green streaks in his feathers?_ Alex widened her eyes when she realized who this must be. “J-Jack?” she squeaked, looking closer at the penguin in front of her.

He stared at her, mouth open in astonishment. Then he inspected his new body, black-and-white with a tint of green; he stared at his flippers and then tipped his beak. He screamed, and started freaking out, breathing heavily. “W-What the h-hell? W-What did you do to me?” he stammered. “I-I’m a p-penguin! How the— How did that happen?” He snapped around to Alex. “You, demon penguin!” He waddled over to her and glared down at her. “You did this to me! Fix me… now!”

Alex was about to reply, when she was interrupted by a groan and another very familiar voice that asked,” What happened?”

The female bird spun around to see another penguin sitting up, rubbing his head. Alex noticed that he had red streaks in his feathers. Swallowing, Alex slowly walked away from the Youtubers as Jack ran to his friend and helped him to his feet. As soon as Mark saw Jack, his eyes widened and he started freaking out, too.

Alex bumped into something and turned around, relaxing when she saw that it was Rico. She glanced over her shoulder at the Youtubers and muttered,” Okay, now Skipper is really, really going to kill us!” All Rico could do was nod as he stared at the penguins who were humans only moments ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment and tell me what you think! Thank you!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Penguins of Madagascar or any of its characters but I do own the penguin Alex.

“This isn’t happening! This can’t be happening! How is this happening?” Jack and Mark were pacing, throwing bewildered glances at each other. They were so confused. How did a normal day on vacation turn so wrong so fast? Mark could see that Jack was having a hard time breathing, but he was freaking out, too. He just didn’t understand how any of this was possible. However, here he stood, as a penguin, staring down at his flippers.

He then realized that people were walking by. He thought that maybe if he got their attention, they might know what was going on and might even help him and Jack... just maybe… Even though he wasn’t entirely convinced that anyone would have an answer to what happened to him, he still started waddling toward a small group of young adults, ignoring his friend when he asked where he was going.

Before he got to the group, something jumped on him and he found himself being pinned to the ground. He watched the people walk away; growling, he thought his friend had attacked him. He looked up and found himself looking into blue eyes, but not the same shade as his friend’s.

“I’m sorry about that,” the penguin said in a soft female voice. “But the humans can’t see you like this. They will freak out and then we’d have a whole new kind of problem.” She sighed.

Mark was confused. He blinked up at her. She must be the penguin he and Jack saw right before that blue light, and before they were turned into penguins. Suddenly the weight pinning him down disappeared and another penguin stepped beside the girl. Mark didn’t know what it was about the other flightless bird, but the crazed look in his eyes made him uneasy.

He felt something wrap around his flipper. Looking sideways, he saw Jack helping him back to his feet. He mumbled a thanks to his friend, before turning back to the two strange penguins, wanting some answers. But suddenly the insane bird snapped his head up and then turned to the female, squawking something that Mark didn’t understand.

The aquatic bird’s eyes widened and she ran to the Youtubers. Before either one of them could protest, she started pushing them away. Mark wanted to ask where she was taking them, but suddenly the psychotic penguin picked him up and started running away with him, while the female grabbed Jack’s flipper and pulled him with her.

“Where are you taking us?” Mark heard Jack ask, but neither bird answered him; they just kept running.

Finally they slowed down and the crazy-looking penguin set Mark down. He watched as Jack approached the female, who seemed to be in an argument with her friend. “Can you please explain what the hell’s going on now?” he demanded, crossing his flippers on his chest.

They turned to him, and the female sighed. “I wanted to see if I could use something that would let me talk to you,” she told them, rubbing the back of her neck and laughing nervously, with a glance at her friend, who was muttering under his breath. “But apparently it did more than that… It turned you into animals… Well, he did say that he didn’t know what it did,” she added, and Mark blinked, not sure if she said that to them or herself.

Jack obviously wasn’t curious who ‘he’ could be. “You wanted to talk to us?” He exchanged a look with Mark, then turned back to the female bird. “But you’re a penguin! How do you even know about us?”

She looked offended, and Mark winced at the way his friend phrased that. He knew Jack didn’t mean anything harsh about it; he was just curious to know how a penguin was aware of _people_ on the internet.

“I watch your videos,” she explained. “I’ve seen a lot of them. I love you guys! And I guess after seeing you at the zoo, I couldn’t help myself. I just had to meet you!” Then she sighed and lowered her eyes, shifting her feet. “But I’ve messed up big time. I’m so sorry.”

Jack and Mark looked at each other again. Of course they were still pretty upset that they had been turned into penguins, but they could see that it had been an accident. Plus it seemed like this could be an amazing adventure. _It’s not everyday you get turned into an animal,_ Mark thought, also thinking that he can’t wait to tell this to their friends when they get back to the hotel. Then something dawned on him.

“Uh… you can change us back, though… right?” Mark looked at the female penguin nervously. He didn’t say it, but he really didn’t want to spend the rest of his life as a penguin. He loved making videos, and he’d miss his family and friends. He knew Jack would miss his old life, too.

The female thought for a moment before saying,” I can’t, but I’m sure Kowalski can. Come on,” she added, beginning to waddle away with her friend right behind her. “We’ll take you to him.”

Mark glanced at Jack. “Some vacation, huh?” he joked timidly, before running after the two penguins. Jack hurried to catch up.

“I just hope they can turn us back,” he said, looking down at his flippers nervously. “I don’t want to stay a penguin!”

Mark nodded. “I’m sure MatPat and the others will be wondering what has become of us if we’re gone for long. And if we don’t go home, everyone there will miss us,” he added sadly, thinking about his friends and family back home.

Jack sighed, and they walked on, keeping to the shadows. The female penguin explained that if they were spotted, someone would call the zookeeper and then all of them would be in big trouble. Jack muttered darkly,” You mean, this could get worse?” But Mark was sure the other two didn’t hear what he said.

They watched in awe as the two penguins jumped onto a table, then flipped in mid-air, rolling as soon as they hit the ground. Mark stood there with his mouth open. He wondered if he could try that, but before he could move, Jack took a mighty leap and landed on the table.

“Hey!” he exclaimed. “It’s easier than it looks!” He glanced around as if making sure there was nobody close by. “The coast is clear!” he called down to Mark.

Bracing himself, Mark prayed that he would make it. He didn’t want to look incapable in front of these penguins. He was about to take the jump, when suddenly something knocked him off his feet. Him and his attacker smashed against the wall. He tried to get up, but the unseen creature pushed his face against the building.

Then the female penguin gasped,” Dad, what are you doing?”

_Dad! This is her father!_

A growl answered the girl. “The real question is, what are you doing? I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

Mark tried to move his head to see who was holding him, but every time he did, the angry male just tightened his grip, growling in his ear.

“Dad, let him go,” the girl pleaded.

“You know him?” he asked, stepping back, and when Mark turned, he saw that it was a penguin with a flat-head and he had his flippers crossed, glaring at the Youtuber.

His daughter sighed and nodded, looking down at the ground. “Yes,” she whispered. “This is Mark.” She looked up at Jack who still stood on the table, gazing down at the scene with wide, frightened eyes. “And that’s Jack.”

At first the flat-headed penguin was confused, then his eyes hardened. “What did you do?” he demanded.

As the girl explained, Mark waddled over to the table, a little unsteady. He shook his head to clear it, silently cursing that penguin for giving him a headache and almost crushing his skull. He glanced up at his friend, still looking horrified. “You can come down now!” he called up to him.

But Jack shook his head and moved closer to the center of the table. “No, that’s fine, I like it up here,” he said, then added,” I thought that penguin was going to kill you!”

Mark blinked, not realizing that he could have died. He glanced behind him, seeing that the girl’s father was glaring at her, then muttered something to her that made her hang her head. He felt a rush of fear when the male penguin waddled past her and headed toward him.

“I’m sorry I attacked you,” he said, though he didn’t sound sorry at all and he still eyed Mark suspiciously. “I guess you can say I have trust issues. But anyways,” he added before Mark could think of anything to say,” I hear you used to be humans and we need to get you back that way; the sooner, the better. I don’t want Alice noticing two new penguins around the zoo.”

“And our fans will be very upset if we’re gone for too long.” Everyone looked up at Jack, who had a worried look in his eyes. Mark understood, but he wasn’t sure if these penguins did. _And if we don’t return home, everyone will think the worst! I don’t want them worrying too much…_

The male penguin shrugged and muttered,” Whatever.” He looked around and then called,” Rico!” Suddenly the insane bird appeared again. “Come on, let’s get back to our habitat before someone sees us.”

The three penguins started waddling away, and Mark was about to follow, but then realized that Jack was still on the table. He was staring at his friend. “Are you sure we should trust them, Mark?” he asked, and Mark noticed uncertainty in his friend’s eyes.

Mark wanted to assure his friend that they were harmless, but after that penguin attacked him and almost crushed his head, he started to have his doubts. _But they seem to be the only ones who are able to get us back to normal,_ he reminded himself. He looked up at Jack and said,” It’s either trust them or return home as penguins. I don’t think our family or friends or even our fans would like that…”

Jack looked uncertain still, but after another moment, he nodded reluctantly and said,” Fine. But I’m keeping my guard up, in case that penguin attacks again.”

Mark nodded. “Me too.” He watched as Jack jumped off the table and they both followed the penguins back to their habitat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment and tell me what you think! Thank you!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Penguins of Madagascar or any of its characters but I do own the penguin Alex.

Double checking to make sure her father was distracting the humans, Alex pushed the fishbowl aside and dropped into the penguins’ HQ. She glanced up to see Jack and Mark staring down at her with wide eyes.

“A secret room inside the island!” Jack exclaimed. “I didn’t even think of that!”

“It’s amazing!” Mark added, poking his head in.

Alex suppressed her laughter. “Come on down,” she called to them. “It’s even cooler in here!”

She watched as one, then the other, climbed down the ladder. Once they were inside, Alex noticed that the bowl was pushed back and guessed that her father must have done it to hide the hole. She looked back at the Youtubers, seeing that they were taking in the whole room, eyes wide with a mix of wonder and uncertainty.

Suddenly Alex felt eyes watching her, but she relaxed when she saw that it was only Private, who still sat in front of the TV. The young penguin got to his feet and waddled over to them, asking,” Who’s this, then?”

Alex reluctantly explained, feeling ashamed every time she admitted her mistake. She’s never done anything this foolish before, and she felt heat under her feathers when Private blinked warm eyes at her.

“It’s okay,” he told her, as if he could read her mind. “Everyone makes mistakes. Skipper won’t be mad for long,” he promised.

Footsteps behind her made Alex spin around. Jack and Mark jumped over the steps and joined them. “You know, you never did tell us your name,” Mark said as they came up. “You obviously already know ours.”

“It’s Alex,” she replied; then she pointed to the penguin beside her. “And this is Private.”

After Private greeted them, Alex told the Youtubers the rest of the team’s name and told them that they will be down here as soon as the zoo closes.

“So,” Jack began, glancing around at everything,” you aren’t ordinary penguins, huh?” He shared a look with Mark. “Or does every penguin have a secret hideout and weird machines that turn humans into animals?” He raised an eyebrow, looking interested.

Alex opened her beak to reply, but when she saw the warning look Private gave her, she shut it. She realized that if she gave away too much information Skipper and his team’s whole operation could be at risk when the Youtubers turned back into humans. Oh, what have I done? she thought, sighing inwardly.

Instead of replying to Jack, Alex walked into Kowalski’s lab and grabbed a deck of cards. “Why don’t we play a game until the others come down?” she suggested when she returned to the main room, hoping to distract them so they didn’t ask anymore questions.

She heard Jack and Mark grumbling, but she tried not to listen. She walked over to the table and started dealing everyone in, trying to recall a game her father taught her as she explained the rules to the Youtubers. It may be complicated and involved pain, but she just wanted to keep them from asking questions long enough for Skipper and the others to get back. Then her father could come up with the answers so that she doesn’t end up revealing any more secrets.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hours later, Skipper and the others dropped into the lair, and Alex looked up from her cards. She was relieved to see them. Jack had asked several questions since they started playing, but to avoid answering them, she told the Youtubers that they could only talk about the game itself or otherwise, she’d pass them a lit bomb and they had to blow it out before it exploded, which never happens, so she always had to lick her flipper and put out the spark, something her father taught her in case Rico couched up dynamite without permission.

Alex got to her feet and ran over to them. She stopped dead when she noticed the look on Skipper’s face. She hung her head, ashamed.

“What were you thinking?” her father demanded, marching over to her, but Alex didn’t dare look up at him, nor did she reply to him. When she said nothing, he yelled louder,” Well?”

“Sir.” Alex suddenly realized that Kowalski was beside them, but she still refused to look up, afraid of seeing the anger and disappointment in Skipper’s eyes. “You can’t really blame Alex. She’s young. She didn’t know what she was doing.”

Rage pulsed in Alex. She may be young, but she wasn’t some stupid kid! _I’m old enough to take care of myself, thank you very much!_ She kept her beak shut, though, knowing whatever she said would only make things worse.

For a moment her father didn’t reply, and she dared to look up to see him glaring at Kowalski. “She’s old enough to realize what she’s doing, Kowalski!” he snapped. Then he sighed and added,” What’s done is done. All that matters now is getting these two back to normal.” He pointed to the Youtubers as he said that.

Alex realized that Jack and Mark had waddled up, watching the scene unfold in front of them. Then Jack stepped forward and asked,” How long will that take?”

The leader narrowed his eyes. “How long will what take?”

“To get us back to normal.”

It was Kowalski who replied. “It took me a whole day to build the original invention.”

Jack shifted his feet. “While we wait, can you show us around the zoo?”

Alex noticed Mark looking just as shocked as she felt. Fear crept inside her and she thought, _Does Jack want to study everyone here so he’d have something to tell their fans? Or maybe he’ll go straight to the media!_

She watched him suspiciously, realizing her father was doing the same thing.

Jack seemed a little unsure now, but his response was calm. “It’s not everyday you turn into something different,” he pointed out, examining his flippers. “I miss being a human, but I mean, if we have to wait, why should we just stand around and be bored? Why not savor this experience?”

Mark seemed to think for a moment, considering what his friend said, then nodded in agreement.

Alex turned to her father, who was shaking his head angrily. “No way,” he said. “I’m sorry to ruin your fun, but we can’t let anyone know who you really are.”

“And we definitely can’t let Alice see you,” Kowalski added.

“Alice?” Jack echoed. “The zookeeper?”

Private waddled up, stopping beside his leader, and turned to the Youtubers. “You know her?” he asked.

They nodded. “We met her when we entered the zoo,” Jack explained.

“She wasn’t a big help, though,” Mark sighed. “All she said was not to feed the animals and then gave us a map. We didn’t see her again. Some zookeeper.” He shrugged as if to say ‘whatever’.

“That’s Alice for you,” Private said, and Rico nodded, as if agreeing.

Skipper took a step toward the Youtubers. “The sooner we get you back to normal, the better,” he told them sternly. “I don’t need a couple of people from the internet coming in, threatening our whole operation.” Jack opened his beak, but a glare from Skipper made him shut it with a snap. “Now, Kowalski is going to begin working on something to turn you back into humans.” He turned to his strategist. “Right, Kowalski?”

Before the tall penguin could answer, Alex heard voices from above. She looked up just in time to see the fishbowl being pushed away and the lemurs jumped down into the lair. She blinked as Julien walked over to Skipper, wrapping his ring tail around the penguin and laughing. “Hello, silly penguin,” the king said, flicking the leader on the beak with a finger.

Maurice and Mort stood beside the ladder, clearly waiting for their king to tell them what to do.

Skipper pushed Julien off him, glaring at the taller animal. “What are you doing here, Ringtail?” he demanded.

Alex suddenly felt something push against her. She glanced sideways and saw Jack. “Who’s the squirrel?” he asked, curiosity sparkling in his eyes.

“He’s not a squirrel.” She laughed quietly. “He’s a lemur.”

“What’s with the weird looking hat on his head?” Mark asked from the other side of her.

“That’s his crown. He’s king of the lemurs,” Alex explained. “Skipper and the others don’t see him as king. Really the only ones who do are Maurice and Mort.” She pointed to the two lemurs still standing beside the ladder. “And he’s my king, too,” she quickly added in case he overheard her. “I’m an extra subject if he ever needs someone else to do something for him.” She shifted her feet on the ground in embarrassment, before looking back up at her father and Julien.

“I came here to get Alex,” Julien explained, pointing to her, but keeping his eyes fixed on Skipper. “We’re going to be having a party, and I’m going to be needing _all_ my subjects.” The lemur stared at the lead penguin as if daring him to object.

Skipper glared up at the king, growling softly. Alex knew he wanted to explode every time Julien called Alex his subject, but she was surprised that he didn’t start yelling. He seemed calm compared to only moments ago when he was scolding his daughter. “I’m so sorry, Ringtail,” he said, not sounding sorry at all. He walked over to Alex. “But Alex is going to have to miss your party. She’s going to show these new penguins around the zoo.”

Alex looked at her father, shocked. “Really?”

Sighing, Skipper nodded. “Yes.”

She was aware that he was allowing her to show the Youtubers around only to keep her away from Julien’s party, but she didn’t care. She was going to show Jack and Mark the zoo… alone! Although what her father said next crushed her excitement.

“Private’s going with you, though.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment and tell me what you think! Thank you!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Penguins of Madagascar or any of its characters but I do own the penguin Alex in this story.

“Where should we go first?” Private asked once they left the penguin habitat behind and started walking through the zoo. Alex watched as he looked over the map Kowalski gave him, but she could tell that it was confusing him. She was about to offer her help when suddenly Jack snatched it from the young penguin.

He looked at it for a moment, then exclaimed,” The alligator habitat! Let’s go there first!” He lowered the map and looked hopefully at them. “We were headed over there when… You know, this happened…” He lifted his flipper and pointed to his beak. Then he shrugged and handed the map back to Private.

Even though it was hard to tell if they were still upset or not, shame washed over Alex. She didn’t mean to turn them into penguins. Mentally, she slapped herself and cursed herself as they walked on, her head down. She trailed a little behind the others, but she was listening as Private replied to Jack.

“Alright then, let’s go to Roger’s first,” he agreed and turned in that direction.

They walked in silence for a bit, but suddenly Alex felt someone beside her and Mark asked,” Are you okay?”

Alex sighed. “I’m really sorry that I turned you and Jack into penguins!” she blurted out, glancing at him, before quickly looking away. “I wanted to meet you, but I didn’t mean for all of this to happen!”

It was Jack who answered. “We don’t blame you anymore,” he told her. “Right, Mark?”

Mark nodded. “We did at first,” he admitted. “But we forgive you.”

“It could happen to anyone,” Jack joked and he shared an amused glance with his friend.

Even though their words comforted her a little, she still felt kind of guilty, but she pushed those feelings away as they continued to walk, with Private in the lead. Alex glanced around, noticing that they were getting close to Roger’s habitat. She soon spotted the wall that separated the large animal from the rest of the zoo. The penguins waddle up to it. Alex and Private flipped through the air and landed on the wall. Glancing down, Alex saw the Youtubers staring up at them with huge eyes.

“That’s amazing every time!” Jack gasped. He jumped into the air and grabbed onto the edge of the wall. He pulled himself up the rest of the way, and Alex smiled at him, glad that she was able to impress him. Mark soon joined them, and all four of them looked into the exhibit. Alex didn’t see the alligator at first, and thought maybe he was underneath the water. Just as she thought that, something surfaced, and she instantly recognized Roger. She waddled over to him, coming to a part of the habitat where the water turned into sand, and she jumped down from the wall.

“Hey, Roger!” she called out.

The alligator spun around, but relaxed when he saw that it was Alex. He swam over to her; she noticed that the Youtubers and Private still stood on the wall. She was surprised to see fear flash in Jack’s and Mark’s eyes; then remembered that they didn’t know Roger. There was no way that they could know that he was harmless. She waved to Private, and he dropped down.

By now, Roger was near Alex. “Hello, Alex,” he said, smiling. “How are you doing this evening?”

Alex smiled back. “Fine,” she answered. “How are you?”

Private appeared beside her. “Hey, Roger,” he greeted the alligator before Roger could reply to Alex.

“Oh, hello, Private,” he grinned, climbing out of the water and shaking himself. Private and Alex jumped back to avoid getting sprayed. “What brings you to my habitat?” he asked the penguins.

“We’re showing our new friends around the zoo,” Private responded, pointing at the Youtubers still on the wall.

Roger turned to look at them, and when he swung his head full of pointed teeth toward them, Jack screamed and pushed Mark in front of him. Mark lost his balance and fell into the water. He kicked and screamed as he tried to climb back up the wall. Jack stared down at him with wide, scared eyes.

“What’s wrong with them?” Roger asked, turning back to Alex and Private.

Alex rubbed the back of her neck, embarrassed on behalf of the Youtubers. “Uh, they’ve never met an alligator before,” she stammered. “They don’t know how friendly you are yet. I’ll get them,” she added, jumping into the water and swimming over to Mark, who still thrashed out in his panic.

When she tried grabbing him, he kicked her in the face. She shook her head, ignoring the sudden buzzing in her ears, as she wrapped her flipper around him. He turned to her, a look of fear in his eyes.

“It’s okay,” she assured him. “Roger won’t hurt a fly. Come and meet him.”

“But it’s an alligator!” Mark gasped, trying to get away, but Alex had a firm grip on him, and after another moment or two, he stopped fighting.

“He’s really nice,” she tried again, hoping that he would listen to reason this time. She glanced up and saw Jack looking down with huge eyes. Frustration rose inside her, but she pushed it down, reminding herself that they were new and didn’t know anything yet about the animals living here.

She managed to calm them down, and Jack jumped into the water to join them. They swam to the sand where Private and Roger were waiting for them, clearly uncomfortable with how the Youtubers were acting toward the alligator.

Once on the sand, Jack eyed Roger, before muttering,” Sorry about that. We didn’t mean to offend you or anything. We’re new around here.”

Alex sighed when she noticed that Jack and Mark were still keeping their distance from the large animal like they didn’t truly believe he was friendly. She tried distracting Roger before he noticed this.

“So, Roger,” she began,” this is Jack and Mark. They’re going to stay with us for a couple of days.”

“Really?” the alligator asked. He turned and smiled at them. “Well, welcome to the zoo, and I hope you enjoy your stay.”

Alex was relieved to see that the Youtubers were finally relaxing, but just a little bit. “Thanks,” Jack said, smiling back at the alligator, and Mark echoed his friend.

“Well, I think we should get going,” Private spoke up, looking over the map again. “We have a lot of animals to meet before it gets dark.” Alex saw his eyes narrow as he tried to make heads or tails of the map. She pushed down her amusement as she offered her help. “Yes, please,” he said as he handed her the piece of paper.

She glanced over it. “I’m thinking we go see Burt?” she suggested, looking up from the map at Private. He nodded.

“Sounds good to me.”

They said their goodbyes to Roger and jumped out of his habitat. Alex had to help Mark up the wall, and she was about to help Jack, but when she turned around, she saw a flash of black-and-white, and then the Youtuber was beside her on the wall, excitement sparking in his eyes.

“I actually made it without falling into the water!” Jack exclaimed.

Alex smiled. “That’s great!” she responded. She glanced down at the others, who had already jumped down just as Jack appeared beside Alex. She joined them on the ground, closely followed by Jack. Then they began to walk to the elephant’s habitat.

* * *

“And lastly,” Private announced as he approached the habitat,” this is where Marlene lives.” He jumped onto the wall and looked into the exhibit. Alex and Private had agreed to leave Marlene to the last so they could stick around for a bit.

“This is the otter habitat, isn’t it?” Jack asked as he and Mark followed Alex. They joined Private on the wall and looked around.

“That’s right,” Alex replied, nodding. “Did you come here when you were touring the zoo before we met?”

“Yep.” Mark turned his eyes to the slide; Alex followed his gaze and spotted the otter waving to them before hopping into the air, flipping a couple of times, then going down the slide.

She landed in the pool, and when she surfaced, she swam to the wall, calling a greeting. She climbed up beside them. 

“Hey, Marlene,” Private greeted the otter. “We wanted to introduce you to some friends of ours.” He pointed to the Youtubers, telling Marlene their names. “They’re only going to be here for a couple of days.”

Marlene turned to Jack and Mark, smiling. “Hello, I’m Marlene.”

They smiled back.

“So,” Marlene started, turning back to Private,” is this what you’ve been up to all day? Where’s Skipper and the others?” She looked around as if expecting the leader to come out of hiding or something.

Private exchanged a glance with Alex; she knew Skipper was close to Marlene, but she didn’t think he would like it if they told the otter the truth about these new arrivals.

“They’re back at HQ,” she finally answered. “He gave the team the day off so we can show Jack and Mark around the zoo.” She didn’t tell her a complete lie, she realized. They did show the Youtubers around, and her father and the others were in HQ. She just avoided telling her who these penguins really were.

She saw Private glancing up at the sky, and when she looked too, she saw that the sun was beginning to set. “We should be getting back,” Private said, voicing Alex’s thoughts. He murmured a quick goodbye to Marlene, before jumping off the wall. Alex and the Youtubers followed him, waving to Marlene as they left; she called,” See you later!” and then turned back to her habitat, disappearing behind the wall.

As they walked back to the penguins’ habitat, Private in the lead, Jack ran to catch up to Alex. “Thanks for showing us around,” he said, smiling.

“Yeah,” Mark agreed. “Everyone is so nice! Well, almost everyone…”

Alex nodded. Most animals welcomed the newcomers, but she told herself that Joey and the gorillas could have been a little nicer. She didn’t say this out loud, though. She didn’t want to ruin the Youtubers’ fun. Alex watched as they looked around, glad that they didn’t seem angry anymore. They actually seemed to be enjoying themselves.

_ But they can’t stay here forever, _ she thought.  _ As we speak, Kowalski is working on something to turn them back into humans and we’ll have to say goodbye... _

Suddenly she was distracted by music, and when she looked up, she found herself in front of the lemur habitat. She craned her neck to see into the enclosure. She sighed longingly when she saw the lemur king dancing with his subjects on the tall stone platform. Alex wanted so much to be up there with them and join their party. She didn’t understand why Skipper wouldn’t let her just be happy and let her spend at least one full day with King Julien as his subject.

_ I made him a promise, _ she thought.  _ And I’ve never broken a promise before! If only Skipper would let me keep this one… _

Suddenly Mark was beside her, and she saw him watching the lemurs too. He didn’t say anything, but the curious look he flashed her made her squirm, embarrassed.

Quickly, she turned away. She heard Mark running to keep up, but she didn’t look at him again, not wanting to tell the whole story of how she promised the king to always be a loyal subject. Honestly, she didn’t think it even mattered anymore, thanks to Skipper. He is determined to keep the lemur king away from his daughter.

Private waited with Jack at the gates of the penguin habitat. Alex hurried over to them, Mark right behind her. For the first time, Alex noticed that the sun had gone down and the lamp posts throughout the zoo were coming on.

As all of them jumped over the gates, Alex kept an eye on the Youtubers, but both of them made it onto the island without getting wet. Private pushed the fishbowl aside and they hopped down. When Alex landed neatly beside the ladder, she looked around. She was confused at first when she didn’t see anyone.

Then Kowalski’s lab door opened and her father waddled out. He had an annoyed look on his face, and Alex wondered what was going on. She walked over to him.

“Something wrong?” she asked.

“Kowalski said it’s going to take longer than he first thought to make a functioning machine to get these two back to normal.” Skipper rolled his eyes. “That’s just what I need. What if they spill all of our secrets once they turn back into humans?” His eyes grew huge as he turned to his daughter. “Did anyone notice that they aren’t really penguins? I don’t need any of the others knowing what we did to these humans.”

Alex shook her head. “I don’t think so,” she answered. She glanced at Mark and Jack, who were talking to Private on the other side of the lair. “But I don’t think they will tell anyone about us or our secrets. Just in case though,” she added quickly,” we can ask them not to.”

Skipper stared at her for a long moment. “I’m just trying to protect you and the others,” he whispered, then he sighed and added,” You can talk to them tomorrow and tell them that no human is supposed to know about our operation.” He glanced at the clock. “It’s time for bed now.”

When he said that, the door to Kowalski’s lab opened again, and the tall penguin and Rico walked out. Private followed his friends to their bunks. Alex walked over to the Youtubers and told them,” Skipper and the others sleep in the bunks, and I’m crashing on the couch. I could lay out some blankets for you on the floor, if that’s fine with you.”

Mark nodded, but he seemed kind of distracted. “Sure,” he muttered.

She thought about asking him what’s wrong; then reconsidered. It was none of her business. After laying out blankets for them and giving each of them a pillow, she walked over to the couch and settled down. She closed her eyes. At first she had trouble falling asleep, and when she finally did, she dreamed about King Julien and being his subject and always being allowed to attend his parties. Her dreams were the only place where she could escape Skipper’s temper and where she could keep her promise to her king.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Penguins of Madagascar or any of its characters, but I do own the penguin Alex in this story.

When she spotted the human coming straight toward her, Alex quickly ducked behind a building, her heart racing. She glanced at the two penguins hiding underneath a table a few feet away; she signaled for them to stay where they were. They stared back at her, putting their heads to one side in confusion. She saw Mark mouth something, but she couldn’t figure out what he was trying to say.

Sighing, she looked around, making sure the coast was clear before sliding on her belly. She jumped to her feet when she got to the Youtubers. “Okay, when I do this,” she said, waving her flippers back and forth in front of her. “It means it’s not safe to cross. But when I do this,” she added, flicking the tip of her flipper toward her. “It means it’s safe. Okay?”

Jack and Mark nodded.

“Okay, good.” Alex turned and was about to drop to her stomach again, but Mark stopped her.

“Why couldn’t we have stayed inside like Skipper told us to?” he asked. “I don’t think he’d like us being out here where someone could see us, especially since we had to sneak out.” He glanced around nervously, looking worried about disobeying Alex’s father.

But Alex didn’t want to think about Skipper. It was the day after Jack and Mark were turned into penguins, and as soon as her father and his team had left to entertain the humans so nobody got suspicious, Alex had suggested they go on an adventure. This would be the only chance she would get to spend time with them, and she wanted to make it memorable. She planned to take them to the park, and get snow cones and just talk and laugh with her favorite Youtubers.

“I want to take you to the park and get snow cones,” she answered. “I’ll make sure nobody sees us.” She was about to make a run for it across the open space back to the building, when suddenly Jack pushed past her and ran into the open.

She growled under her breath and chased after him, grabbing his shoulder and dragging him back under the table before someone saw him. “Why did you run off like that?” she demanded, but Jack didn’t answer her right away.

He glanced around, wide eyed. “I could have sworn I just saw him!” he insisted. “I know I’m not going crazy!”

“What are you talking about, Jack?” Mark asked, turning to his friend before looking around himself. Alex could see that he was confused just like her. He had no idea who Jack could be talking about either.

Jack looked his friend in the eyes. “Matpat! I just saw him!” He scanned the area again, bracing himself, but before he could run out again, Alex put her flipper on his shoulder to stop him. He turned to her. “I know we can’t be seen, but we’ve got to get MatPat’s attention somehow and tell him that we’re okay.”

“We can’t, Jack.” Alex turned to Mark, surprised, when she heard the note of sadness in his voice. “I wish we could tell him and everyone else that we’re safe, but look at us. We’re penguins,” he reminded his friend when Jack looked confused. “As animals, we can’t speak to people…” He shook his head, looking into the crowd; his eyes lit up. “Oh, there he is!”

Alex turned to where Mark was pointing. A human with brown hair was walking by before disappearing from sight again. Jack looked like he was ready to run out after his friend, but Mark stepped out in front of him, shaking his head. Sighing, Jack nodded reluctantly, but Alex could see that he was keeping an eye out for MatPat again. She couldn’t see him anymore though.

“He must be looking for us,” Mark whispered. “I’m sure when we didn’t show up last night, him and everyone else were probably worried sick so MatPat and maybe the others came here to find us.”

Jack nodded. “When we turn back into humans, we need to explain to everyone what happened.”

Fear shot through Alex, and she turned to them. “Guys, there’s something I need to tell you,” she said, glancing around to make sure no human was nearby.

“Okay.” There was worry in Jack’s voice. “What is it?”

Instead of answering right away, she gestured for them to follow her, and she slid on her belly to the building she had been hiding behind earlier. She turned to see the Youtubers hurrying after her. When they got to her, she blurted out,” You can’t tell anyone about your experience as penguins when you are turned back into humans!”

Mark and Jack stared at her.

“Why not?” Jack asked.

“Because,” Alex explained, keeping an eye out for any humans heading toward them,” what Skipper and the others do is not supposed to be known by people.” She glanced at the Youtubers. “Skipper’s afraid that if someone finds out about their operation, they will catch all of us and do experiments on us.” She turned away and slid to a nearby garbage can.

She looked over her shoulder and was glad to see them following her, joining her just as a woman and her kid walked by. Lightheaded with relief that they weren’t spotted, Alex looked around, noticing that they were close to the gates.

“Why would someone do experiments on you?” Jack asked.

Alex sighed and looked at him. “I’m sure you’re fine, but if the wrong kind of humans discovered our lair or that we’re a team with inventions and weapons, they’re gonna want to do experiments on us to learn our secrets.” She made sure again that no human was nearby. “That’s why Skipper doesn’t like this whole thing. He thinks as soon as you and Mark turn back into humans, we’ll be exposed.”

_ But they can’t stay here forever either,  _ she added to herself.  _ If MatPat is looking for them, he might find out what I did to them and then Skipper, his team, and even I, will be captured… _

“Well that’s not gonna to happen, if I can help it!” She looked hopefully at Mark. “We promise not to tell anyone your secret. Right, Jack?”

The Youtuber nodded. “Right. I can’t let my friends be experimented on.”

Alex was relieved that they understood, but instead of saying anything else on the subject, she said,” Okay, the gates are right over there. Then we’ll be in the park and there’ll be more cover.” She glanced around, signaling that it was clear for them to follow her, before dropping to her stomach and sliding to the gates.

Before they made it to the gates, Alex heard someone scream. She skidded to a halt, causing the Youtubers to crash into her. She looked up, wide eyed, to see a human standing over her. She briefly wondered where she came from. Then she looked around, but nobody else was around.

“Quick!” Alex gasped. “Back!”

She pushed Mark and Jack back the way they came, but suddenly they were surrounded by people. She could see the Youtubers were beginning to panic, and she opened her beak to calm them down, when she spotted the zookeeper.

“Alice!” she screamed. She looked from side to side, desperate to find somewhere to escape to, but she couldn’t think straight because all the humans crowding in on her, and Mark and Jack were still freaking out beside her. Then she realized that Alice was holding three cages, one for each of them.

_ Oh no! _ she thought, fighting to stay calm for the Youtubers’ sake.

It was too late now. Alice was already towering over them and pushing them into the cages, locking the doors. Alex couldn’t bring herself to look at her friends as Alice carried all of them toward her office. She sighed and sat down in her cage, asking herself,  _ What is she going to do with us? _


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Penguins of Madagascar or any of its characters, but I do own the penguin Alex in this story.

Skipper watched as Private waddled across the island, entertaining the humans that surrounded the habitat. He was proud to see the young penguin working hard to earn the people’s affection. As he looked on, Private jumped into the water and started swimming around, kicking his feet. He did this for a moment or two, before back flipping out of the water, spraying sparkling droplets into the air. He landed neatly back on the platform.

“Aww!” everyone exclaimed, throwing fish to the flightless birds.

Skipper reached out and caught one in his flipper and swallowed it in one gulp, then he turned to Private and said,” Nicely done, young private.”

“Thanks, Skippah!” The young bird’s eyes lit up, clearly happy that his performance impressed his leader. He picked up a fish and swallowed it whole. He turned in surprised when Rico came running over and started gulping down fish without ever seeming to be full.

The leader watched as Kowalski joined his friends, a thoughtful look on his face. Skipper wondered what he was thinking, but before he could ask him, the strategist seemed to tell him what was on his mind. “Do you think I should be down there, working on getting those two back to normal?”

Skipper nodded slowly. “Okay.” He turned to his other teammates. “Private. Rico.” The two penguins looked up from the fish, a tail hanging out of Rico's mouth, but he sucked it in as he and Private ran to their commanding officer. “Distract the humans so Kowalski can sneak down stairs.”

The two nodded and ran to the edge of the island, waddling in a line. Instantly all eyes went to them, and Kowalski walked to the fishbowl, pushing it away and disappearing in the hole. The bowl was pushed back to hide the hole. Skipper stared at the hatch for a moment, before turning back to his teammates, leaning down to grab another fish.

He let his eyes scan the crowd around his habitat as he swallowed the fish. It was then that he saw something that confused him. He ran to the edge of the platform, pushing Private and Rico aside as he stared at the zookeeper walking by. He narrowed his eyes when he saw that she was holding three cages. Then he saw what was in them.

_ She's captured Alex! _

He turned back to his team, ordering,” We have to save her before she does something to her!” He was aware that his voice was rising in panic, but he was afraid for his daughter. He didn't have time to be mad at her for sneaking out of the HQ; he would have to get on to her for that later.

“But Skippah,” Private started as he took a step toward his leader,” we can't do anything with these humans watching us.”

Skipper growled under his breath, knowing the young penguin was right. He rubbed under his beak as he walked to the fishbowl, thinking Kowalski would have an idea. “Distract them,” he ordered, and when Private and Rico got the humans attention again, Skipper pushed the fishbowl aside and started climbing down the ladder, making sure to put the bowl back in place before letting go of the ladder. He landed in front of the bunks and called out to the smart penguin.

Within heartbeats, Kowalski's lab door opened and he came waddling out, asking,” Yes, sir?” He looked around the lair before Skipper had time to tell him what was going on. “I guess Alex must have left with the other two.” He shrugged and turned back to his leader. “Did you need something?”

Skipper crossed his flippers on his chest. “Yes,” he replied, trying to stay calm, knowing that freaking out won't solve anything. “Alice has captured Alex and the other two. We need to save them.” He pointed at his strategist and demanded,” Kowalski, options!”

But Kowalski had stopped listening to his leader. He was staring wide eyed at him and breathing heavily. Skipper slapped him before he could freak out anymore. “Calm down, Kowalski,” he ordered. “Now listen,” he went on, grabbing his shoulders,” I'm going to go rescue them, while you stay here and continue to work on that machine. We need everything back to normal before our whole operation is ruined! Private and Rico are gonna stay up there and entertain the humans. Got it?” He let go of the tall penguin and looked at him. He was glad when Kowalski nodded.

“Good.” He turned to leave, but stopped when Kowalski said his name.

“Please bring Alex back,” he whispered. He looked at his leader for a moment, but he disappeared back in his lab before Skipper could say anything.

Skipper stared at the door for a moment, watching as it closed. Then he promised in his head,  _ Of course I'll bring her back. _

Once he was topside again, Skipper waddled to Private and told him his plan. The young penguin nodded and assured him that he could count on him, and with that said, Private and Rico got the humans attention once more while Skipper dived into the water. He swam to the edge of the pool, looking over his shoulder to make sure no human was watching him, before flipping out of the water and dashing behind a garbage can.

He looked around and slid on his belly toward Alice's office, keeping an eye out for humans. He jumped to his feet when he got to the building he knew the human would be in. He slid on his belly through the door and jumped into the trash can. He poked his head up, but made sure he was still hidden as he listened to the zookeeper talk on the phone.

“Really?” she was saying. “You say they can take them? What was the zoo called? The New Orleans Zoo? Okay, I'll call them.” Skipper heard her hang up the phone.

Skipper growled under his breath, making a vow that he had to save his daughter before she was transported away. He ducked in the can when Alice walked out the door. When she was gone, Skipper jumped out of the trash can and slid over to the table where the three cages were. As soon as Alex saw her father, she jumped to her feet.

“Dad!” she exclaimed. “You got to get us out of here!”

Skipper nodded and walked to the cage his daughter was in. He looked it over, trying to decide how to get them out of it. Then he looked at his flipper, wondering if he could use it to unlock the cages. He picked up the lock and pushed his flipper in it, wriggling it all around and smiling when he heard a clicking sound. He felt satisfaction when the lock fell to the ground.

His daughter opened the door and hugged Skipper tightly, gasping,” Thank you! I'm so sorry I left without your permission!”

Skipper decided that this was not the time to get mad at her; he could yell at her later. So he waved the apology away. “Come on, let's get the other two out of here and fast,” he said as he dashed over to Jack’s cage. The penguin with green streaks in his feathers stared at Skipper with wide eyes as he slipped his flipper in the lock and it fell to the table. He hopped out of the cage.

The lead penguin turned to see that Alex had rescued Mark, but he didn't have time to feel proud of his daughter. A scream coming from the entrance made every penguin turn around to see the zookeeper staring at them with wide eyes.

_ Oh no! Alice! _

“Run!” he yelled to everyone as he jumped off the table and slid on his belly to the door. He didn't have time to look back to see if the others were behind him, but he could hear Jack freaking out and saying that they were going to get caught again. Skipper wanted to tell him that that wasn't going to happen, but he couldn't stop. He knew Alice was right behind them. They had to keep running so the zookeeper wouldn't catch them.

Without thinking he ordered everyone over the wall and he stepped back to make sure they all made it. Once Mark had stumbled over, Skipper followed him, looking around and thankful to see that they were all here. Then he sighed as he realized where they were. “Great, the lemur habitat,” he muttered.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Penguins of Madagascar or any of its characters, but I do own the penguin Alex in this story.

Trying to calm his racing heart, Jack glanced around. They were hiding behind a bounce-house, and he could see a pedestal that seemed to have some kind of chair on it. He turned to Skipper when he heard the leader say they were in the lemur habitat. He expected to see one of the creatures come out and question what they were doing here; none of them came out though and he was starting to wonder where they were. Then he looked closer at the platform and could see three tails moving from side to side. He could also hear the faint sound of music.

Were they dancing?

He turned back to his friends when he realized that the lemurs hadn't noticed they were in their home. Jack noticed that Skipper was trying to listen to what was going on over the wall. He gently pushed past Alex and Mark, and he stopped beside the flat-headed penguin, trying to listen as well. Although he couldn't hear anything.

“What can you–“he tried to ask, but Skipper covered his beak, glaring at him. Just then the sound of footsteps came from the other side of the wall. Jack stared wide eyed at Skipper as the leader stepped back from him and looked up at the zookeeper who was just visible over the wall.

“Now where did they go?” she growled, glancing around.

Skipper gestured to everyone to get against the wall, and they did. Jack found it hard to breathe as he waited for the human to do something.

Then he heard Alice sigh and muttered,” Whatever. I don't care.” And with that, the footsteps started up again, slowly getting fainter and then vanishing.

Still it was a while until Jack let out a sigh of relief and turned to Skipper, who was looking up at the wall. “Let's be thankful that Alice isn't good at her job,” he commented. Everyone murmured an agreement.

“What are you all doing in my kingdom?”

All the penguins spun around, and Jack found himself staring at the ring tail lemur who had come by the penguin habitat the day before. He had his arms crossed and he was looking at the penguins with his eyebrow raised as he leaned sideways a little.

Alex took a step forward as if she was about to say something, but before she could, Skipper pushed her back, knocking her into Mark, who saved her before she fell to the ground.

“I'm sorry for just barging in on you, Ringtail,” the lead penguin said. “But we had an emergency. We had nowhere else to go.”

The lemur suddenly looked interested as he uncrossed his arms and leaner closer to Skipper. “What kind of emergency?”

Skipper glared at the ring tail lemur. “That's classified information,” he said, pushing the taller animal away. “Now we are leaving.” He jumped on the wall, but within heartbeats he fell back onto the ground and sighed.

“What's wrong?” Alex asked, walking to him.

“We have to wait til the zoo closes before we leave,” the leader explained, sounding really annoyed about that. “There are too many humans around.”

Jack and Mark exchanged glances. Then Mark took a step forward and asked,” When will you be able to get us back to normal?”

“As soon as possible,” Skipper promised. “Kowalski is working on it as we speak. I'm hoping by the time we get back he will be done with it. I just want all of this to be over with.” He sighed and sat down.

_ You and me both, _ Jack thought as he sat down as well.  _ If MatPat is looking for us, I’m sure the others are too. _

He watched the tall lemur study them, noticing he kept his eye on Alex the most. Then he remembered her telling them that he was a king and she was his subject, but Skipper doesn't like her being ordered around by the lemur. Jack watched the animals for a while, curious as the lemur walked over to Alex and started talking to her.

“I missed you at my party last night,” the king remarked, staring down at her as if he blamed her for her absence.

Alex hung her head and stared down at her feet. “I'm sorry, King Julien,” she murmured.

Skipper jumped to his feet and stormed over, pushing the lemur away from his daughter. “Stop treating her like one of your subjects!” he yelled.

Anger flashed in the lemur's eyes as he faced Skipper. “She made a promise to me to be loyal to me,” he told him. “And why shouldn't she be? I'm the king and can have whoever I want as a subject!”

The penguin opened his mouth to reply, but Alex stepped in between them. “Please stop,” she pleaded.

Skipper and the lemur glared at each other for a moment longer, before Skipper grabbed his daughter's flipper and started dragging her toward the wall. “We are leaving  _ now _ !”

“But I thought you wanted to wait till all the humans left,” Alex protested.

“I just want to get away from him.” Skipper glared at the lemur before jumping over the wall, still dragging his daughter.

Jack and Mark exchanged a glance, not sure what to do. They turned to the king and saw that he was staring after the penguins with wide eyes. Then he growled under his breath and spun around, storming away without even saying anything to the Youtubers.

“I guess we should follow Skipper and Alex,” murmured Mark, and Jack nodded.

They jumped over the wall, instantly hiding behind a garbage can. Jack looked out and saw the penguins' habitat in front of them. He watched as Skipper and Alex jumped through the hatch into the lair. After they made sure nobody was watching them, they dashed to the habitat and dived into the water.

Once on the island, Jack glanced around, and saw Private and Rico entertaining the humans. Not wanting to bother them, the Irish Youtuber waddled over to the fishbowl and pushed it aside. He started climbing down the ladder and hopped off the rest of the way, watching as Mark followed him and put the bowl back in place.

He looked around, but he didn't see anyone. He walked to the open door and looked inside. He saw Skipper talking to the tall penguin. He joined the two and noticed that Mark was right behind him.

“So, Kowalski,” the leader was saying,” is the machine working yet?” He sounded annoyed and tired.

Kowalski was messing with a bunch of objects on the table, and Jack could see a box looking thing beside him. “Almost,” he muttered. “I just need to do a few things.” He picked up a screw and put in the box, before looking over it again. “Just give me a little bit more time and it should be done.”

Skipper nodded. “Just hurry up. I want all of this to be over with.” He walked out of the lab, ordering the Youtubers to follow him. Jack didn't like taking orders from him, but he just shrugged and followed him with Mark right behind him.

Once they got to the main room, Jack looked around and saw Alex sitting in front of the TV. He walked over to her and asked,” What are you watching?”

She glanced up at him and shrugged as she turned back to the TV. “Just some action movie about a car race,” she replied.

Jack sat beside her, and he looked up when he heard footsteps. Mark was walking over to join them. He sat down on the other side of Alex, and they all watched the movie. Jack wasn't sure how much time went by nor how many cars exploded on the movie but after a while Kowalski's lab door opened and the tall penguin ran out.

Jack turned to watch as Kowalski ran to his leader. “I'm finally done with it!” he exclaimed.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The Penguins of Madagascar or any of its characters, but I do own the penguin Alex in this story.

The penguins walked through the park, and Alex found herself glancing around even though she knew there weren't any humans about since the zoo was closed. She still felt uncomfortable and like someone could come out of nowhere ever since Alice had caught her. She sighed, not believing she had been so stupid and reckless just so she could spend time with the Youtubers! Her father would never do such a thing. She felt like she really disappointed him, and she hated doing that.

Now it was after zoo hours, and the penguins were heading far into the park where nobody was able to spy on them. Kowalski had managed to create a machine that he said will turn the two penguins back into humans; Alex didn't want to doubt her boyfriend, but she silently hoped that it would work without blowing up.

She glanced beside her and saw Jack looking around at everything. She wondered if he was excited that he was about to be turned back into a human. She looked at Mark on the other side of her, noticing that he was talking quietly to Private.

“It was really nice meeting you,” the small penguin was saying, smiling up at Mark.

Mark laughed and wrapped his flipper around him. “You too!” he said as he let go of Private.

Private's smile got bigger. “I'll be sure to watch your videos.” He glanced over to Jack. “Yours too!”

The Youtubers’ eyes sparkled as they thanked the young penguin.

Alex couldn't help but giggle. She was happy that Private said that; he could watch their videos with her. She had been wanting to ask one of the team to watch them with her, but she wasn't sure if they would like it.

Finally the penguins came to a halt, and Skipper turned to the rest of them. He pointed to Kowalski and said,” Okay, let's get this over with. I want these penguins turned back into humans now!”

“Yes, sir.” Kowalski took out his machine: a box that had three buttons and antennas on either side of it. It looked just like the one that turned them into penguins, so Alex hoped it'd turn them into humans. “Which button did you press before, honey?” he asked, turning to Alex.

The female penguin waddled to her boyfriend and looked at where the buttons were. She pointed to the button in the middle, and Kowalski nodded as if lost in thought as he rubbed the bottom of his beak and looked at his invention.

“Okay, uh, I think I got it,” the tall penguin murmured as he pointed the invention at Jack and Mark.

“Hold on, hold on,” Jack said, holding up his flippers and taking a step away from Kowalski.

Mark glanced around uncertainty.

“What's the problem, human?” Skipper asked as he folded his flippers on his chest.

Jack shifted his feet on the ground. “Are you sure this will work?” he asked.

“Of course,” Kowalski replied. “I made it. Now hold still.” He pointed it at them again.

“Hold on. Can we say goodbye first?” Mark asked.

Skipper sighed. “Fine.”

Jack and Mark turned to Rico, but the psycho bird glared at them. “What?” Jack asked. Rico didn't answer though; instead he just gave him a curt nod and stepped back as the pair turned to say their goodbyes to the next penguin.

“I'm gonna miss you,” Private said as he looked up at the two Youtubers. Mark and Jack smiled, and hugged the young penguin, murmuring a bye to him.

Then they turned to Skipper and Kowalski, but before they could say anything, Skipper snapped,” Can we wrap this up? I just want to hurry up and get this over with.”

“But why?” Jack asked.

Alex winced when she saw anger flashed in her father's eyes. “I'm trying to protect my team,” he said, folding his arms on his chest again. “As long as you two are the way you are, my team is in danger of being discovered and I can't let that happen, so you need to go...now!”

Jack and Mark sighed, but nodded as if they realized that it was useless to argue with Skipper. “Okay, we're going,” Jack said. “But first,” he added after a moment, turning to Alex,” thank you for finding us and turning us into penguins.”

Alex stared wide eyed at him. “What?” she asked. “You mean you really enjoyed yourselves?”

Mark nodded. “Yep. It was really fun.”

The female penguin smiled. “I'm glad you had fun.”

Jack hugged her and when he let go of her, he said,” Thanks for being a fan, and I hope you always will be one.”

Alex nodded. “Of course.” She took a step back as Jack and Mark walked over to Kowalski again.

The tall penguin looked at the Youtubers. “Okay, are you ready now?” he asked, sounding a little annoyed. After they nodded, Kowalski pointed his invention at them and pressed the button on the right side, but nothing happened. He stretched his head and looked at his machine.

“Kowalski?” questioned Skipper.

“Maybe the other button will work?” Kowalski guessed as he pressed it, and then a blue light shot from the invention.

Just as the blue light hit the Youtubers, Skipper started waving his flippers in front of his face and said,” You didn't see anything!”

Alex covered her eyes til the light died down, and when she was able to see again, she blinked up at two humans she instantly recognized as Jack and Mark. They smiled down at the penguins and waved, but before she could do anything, Skipper started dragging her away, calling to his team. They started toward the zoo. She glanced over her shoulder at the two Youtubers and saw that they were staring after the penguins.

She watched as Jack took a step toward them, and she came to a halt, waiting for the Irish Youtuber to walk to her, but Mark stopped him and murmured something to him. They were too far away for her to hear though, and a heartbeat later they turned, beginning to walk toward the city.

“It's for the best.”

Alex spun around in surprise when she heard Kowalski's voice, but she relaxed as the penguin wrapped his flipper around her. “I know they had to go back to their own lives,” she murmured. “I always knew they would go back, but I thought it was really awesome meeting them.”

Kowalski smiled. “So what are their videos about?” he asked as they began walking again.

“Mainly gaming,” Alex murmuring, glancing away from him. “I don't think you'd like them...”

She felt him intertwine his flipper with hers. “I could give them a try.” He smiled down at her.

Then they continued to walk to the zoo without talking. Alex glanced once more in the direction of the city, wondering if they will ever see the Youtubers again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END!!

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment and tell me what you think! Thank you!


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